Pictures of Figarti's First Vietnam Sets (1 Viewer)

[Louis Badolato]

With all due respect, are you people out of your collective minds!?! If there is no freedom of the press, there is no freedom, period. Go around the world and check out which countries lack freedom of the press, and you will see a laundry list of the worst countries, dictatorships with human rights violations up the yin yang.

As far as the press being liberal, 90% of what I see could be an advertisement for the religious right. Have you watched Fox's "fair and balanced coverage"? They could be the public relations department for Bush and Cheney!

Whether or not you agree with what the press is saying, their unfettered right to say it is the last bastion of freedom in post-911 America. We have given up virtually the entire Bill of Rights in the name of "homeland security" and "political correctness". Look I have no use for the hippy mentality which tries to make American Troops into the badguys out of some misguided need to blame ourselves for the worlds problems, but the fact of the matter is they have the right to say what they believe, and if we deprive anyone of that right, especially the media, then we become a police state, and quite frankly, I would rather have to fight a few thousand terrorists than a resistence movement against big brother.

 

[OzDigger]

Hi Louis, I think this is like our Monty v Patton discussion, in that we have more common ground than differences.

I agree that government(s) shouldn't have control of the press. However I doubt if the press has ever been free as such because there is a great deal that you aren't allowed to print or broadcast.

In addition, the media owners in democratic countries often have their own agenda which may or may not agree with the governement in power. Therefore they are the people that control what it's in the media. Is that free - or fair?

I was amused to note that Castro had recently handed power over to his brother. It's getting so there isn't much diffrence between communist societies and monarchies these days Who are we kidding anyway, human cultures will always have the 80 - 20 rule, where 20% of the people get 80% of the wealth.

Which reminds me about something else Michael Moore said. He said that Canada has a much more equitable welfare system compared to the US. This ensures everybody has access to basic needs such as free health care. We have a similar system in Australia and I think it does keep the peace in the community. No doubt some of you guys would say that if you don't or can't work you shouldn't be sponging off the community. However, I feel most people would rather pay money to the government to support people thru health care, food, etc rather than have some desparate guy pointing a gun at their head to get the self serve

 

[TLP]

Welfare? and gun to the head? Please! In this country welfare is a four letter word. When the sad fact is we spend 200 million a day in Iraqi welfare. A lot of people might consider Iraqi schools important, Iraqi power stations important hell Iraqi freedom is important! Too bad its not the Iraqis who think this? It tends to be people thousands of miles away! People are writing the checks and asking some one elses kid to pay the bill! Welfare you say? Looks like we have had pleanty!

I am adding my two cents in only because I have fought in Iraq and my brother has as well. My dad fought in Vietnam and his dad in WWII. We have all fought for a nation that provides freedom to all its citizens. Nobody has the right to determin that there are some who are non deserving! I could care less if you like or dislike their message their politics etc. Their stance is their right!

 

[Pierre]

Dictatorship is: shut up! while democracy is: yeah, yeah!

Pierre.

 

[OzDigger]

Welfare? and gun to the head? Please! In this country welfare is a four letter word. When the sad fact is we spend 200 million a day in Iraqi welfare. A lot of people might consider Iraqi schools important, Iraqi power stations important hell Iraqi freedom is important! Too bad its not the Iraqis who think this? It tends to be people thousands of miles away! People are writing the checks and asking some one elses kid to pay the bill! Welfare you say? Looks like we have had pleanty!

I am adding my two cents in only because I have fought in Iraq and my brother has as well. My dad fought in Vietnam and his dad in WWII. We have all fought for a nation that provides freedom to all its citizens. Nobody has the right to determin that there are some who are non deserving! I could care less if you like or dislike their message their politics etc. Their stance is their right!

I'm not sure where your going here TLP. But personally I couldn't give a Rotund Rodents Rectum about Iraq or it's people. I was speaking about the United States and its OWN people, as was Michael Moore. If you don't consider it the right thing to do to care for poor people in your own country I guess that's your concern as I'm not an American. Just don't winge when some dude shoots you in the guts for $10.

 

[TLP]

No you have it all wrong! I should have used some of these to help with the sarcasim I couldnt agree more with you and the idea of providing health coverage for all Americans . Problem is we are too busy dumping 200 million dollars a week into a shLt hole like Iraq! I guess many of the supporters of this war find it to be of value and wouldnt call all the money being pumped into Iraq welfare? But thats what it is. Its simply too bad we wont take care of our own!

 

[jazzeum]

The policy of this Board has been to try to avoid politics since they can become divisive and there are plenty of boards out there just for politics. Unfortunately, the only one I can blame for that is me since I opened the door late last week although that was not my intent. I was hoping that the political discussion would go away, which it hasn't. Since I made this mess, I'm going to have to clean it up by closing the thread and my apologies to everyone for letting the political genie out of the bottle.

I would invite Steven Chong, who started the thread on Figarti's new Vietnam sets, or anyone else for that matter to start a new thread for these sets.